YYZ Travel Anniversary Cruise
YYZ Travel American Express has provided travel services to nearly every Torontonian who’s ever been to Israel, Russia, Ukraine in the past 20 years. That’s how it started – Middle East and Eastern Europe destinations. “When we started with those, we didn’t know we would expand to all over the world offering everything from car-rental to exclusive yacht trips”, says Vicky Zaltsman, the Executive President of YYZ Travel.
YYZ Travel Group Int’l a division of Canadian Gateway, was established in 1986 to specialize in business and cultural travel to Russia and Eastern Europe with 3 offices located in the province of Ontario, Canada. In 1991 we also founded an affiliated company, SVO Tours and Cruises, to serve in the areas of inbound and outbound tourism on the territory of CIS.
With an unmatched track record in arranging business and leisure travel, our expertise, multilingual staff, active presence on Canadian and former USSR republics’ markets, our strong knowledge of international travel trends allow us to stand out.
Steady growth culminated in joining the American Express Global Network in 2001 which positively contributed to the market share, earnings and stock value of our Company.
YYZ Travel American Express is an active member of International Air Transport Association (IATA), Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), Cruise Lines International Organization (CLIA), SKAL International and Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), CERBA (Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association).
Our company currently employs over 60 people working in 3 separate locations in Toronto and Thornhill, Ontario. We built a company around the idea that work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun. To that end, our culture is unlike any other local travel agencies: we are trying to breath in each day, converting it to opportunity, to think out of the box and be flexible with our Customer’s, Suppliers and Employees. Success of such a strategy is proved by our fruitful cooperation with American Express, by new contracts with Suppliers nearly every month, by our constant growth (in the past 20 years we acquired 2 travel businesses and established one more office), the remarks of our Customers about us…
OUR CUSTOMERS’VE GOT THE FLOOR:
- "All travel agents are courteous and friendly, genuinely interested …. They offer suggestions and alternatives, and let you know the lower fares."
-Tatiana, IT Manager, CRM company
- "YYZ has done a first-rate job, thanks to Gila and the entire team!"
- Benjamin, Lawyer, Law Office
- "Trust me, the service is exceptional: I spent a wonderful family vacation in Barbados and will surely get back to Inna for another comfortable package next year. Thank you!"
- Harold, Agent, Real Estate Company
Since we began operations in 1986, we have not wavered from our performance standards. We have earned numerous recognitions from the following airlines – Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa, KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines, Czech Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, Air France and numerous appreciations for various sponsorships throughout the years.
Apart from our being a dynamically developing business institution, we are true citizens of our country and the community in which we live and work. We support and endorse a variety of non-profit organizations and community service efforts. Our people work together to contribute towards the social well-being of people both internally and externally.
In 1989 YYZ Travel Management accompanied the Canadian Trade Delegation to Moscow led by the Prime Minister Brian Mulroney for the historical inaugural meeting, where fourteen scientific, cultural and environmental protocols were signed by the two counties.
In 1997 our company was the first to introduce direct weekly non-stop charter passenger flight between Toronto and Moscow through an exclusive agreement with Aeroflot Russian International Airlines.
In 2005, responding to the international appeal of Deputies of the Parliament of North Ossetia “Let us protect the children and the future from terror!" - we supported the children held hostage in Beslan.
In the course of past 20 years of operation, YYZ Travel American Express has grown to be in the top 100 largest Canadian travel companies, through a best practices approach to service delivery, cost management, business operations, and a business diversification strategy in terms of lines of business (corporate and leisure travel, and airline consolidator operations) and channels of distribution (direct to corporations and individuals, and through other travel agencies).